Need You Now
by SweetLProductions
Summary: . "You were right," she said as she kept his eyes locked with hers. "I do need to find someone less terrible that I can relate to." / A one-shot based on what I think will happen in 4x18. AU


**Hey guys!**

**So yes, I am posting this just about an hour before 4x18 actually goes live but hey, better late than never, right? xD It's a bit delayed from all my procrastinating, writers block and what not but I finally managed to finish it. It's basically how I think/"hope" the episode will go based off of the stills, the promo and the spoilers and interviews! ;)**

**Also, please excuse any grammar or spelling mistakes. I've had to edit this rather quickly and I didn't use a beta for this one.**

**Hope you enjoy it! x Nicole**

* * *

_I hear something out there calling my name  
No matter where I turn it all looks the same_

_My body shivers and aches, I can't break free  
Why do the things I hate come so naturally?_

_Will I know it?  
Will I know it?  
Will I know it when I see it?  
Will I know it?  
Will I know it when you're here?_

_I need you now  
I need you more than ever before_

* * *

Klaus barged through the front doors of the Mikaelson Manor. He was still seething with anger, feeling like he was getting stabbed in the back over and over again as the wound tried to heal just to be pried open the next second by the piece of white oak. He quickly discarded the jacket he had been wearing which had now been destroyed by the stake and his blood. He swallowed as another shockwave of pain ran from between his shoulder blades and through his entire body. He ripped off the grey, long sleeved t-shirt he was wearing and left it on the floor of the study.

Pouring himself a glass of scotch he tried to process all that had just happened. Caroline had killed the 12 witches and had thereby given Silas the last thing, cure aside, he needed to lift the veil and bring back all supernatural creatures that had died. Initially Klaus had been angry with her, not just for killing the witches, but the minute he had seen the remorseful look in her eyes he had to remind himself that this was Caroline they were talking about; the light-spirited, happy girl who had acted on impulse because she wanted to save her friend. She hadn't done it intentionally.

He had quickly discarded that thought when her words from earlier had hit him.

"_So you've never felt the attraction that comes when someone who's capable of doing terrible things, for some reason, cares only about you?"_

"_I did once when I thought he was worth it. But it turns out some people can't be fixed. People who do terrible things are just terrible people."_

He was hurt and he had turned that hurt into anger when he saw her break down in front of him. He had wanted to throw it all back in her face, for her to feel the hurt he felt. He thought it would've made him feel better but as soon as she had turned around and walked away he knew he had made a terrible mistake. He had done it to make himself feel better but the guilt he felt the second she left was still lingering on him and it only made him feel even worse.

Klaus turned to the mirror and stared at himself as he downed the glass of scotch in his hand. His eyes were dark. All he really wanted to do was go find some innocent human, oblivious to who and what he was, and drain him or her of blood. He wanted to feel the euphoria of human blood coursing through his veins. However, he knew better. If Caroline found out it was him who did it she would only become even angrier with him. Also, there was the fact that no human blood had been able to do the job for him now that he had so greedily and selfishly tasted Caroline's. He hated himself for what he had done to her and couldn't help but wonder if she would ever forgive him. Could she? She had admitted that she had wished she could forget all the horrible things he had done prior to stabbing and biting her but did she still wish she could forget?

He snapped himself out of the trail of thoughts he was going down and poured another glass of scotch. The alcohol didn't help much though. He turned his back to the mirror and hesitantly peaked over his shoulder to take a look at the wound that was still trying to heal. He stared at it for a few more seconds before turning away and setting down the empty glass. He could feel the little pearls of sweat starting to appear on his forehead but tried to ignore them. He knew he had to find a way to get the piece of stake out eventually but he also knew it couldn't kill him so he didn't need to rush it.

Digging his hand into the pocket of his jeans, he pulled out his phone and dialed Stefan's number as he knew he wouldn't be able to get the piece of white oak out himself. Getting more and more annoyed with every ring that went unanswered he grunted loudly as it went to voicemail and threw the phone on the couch on top of his jacket. He would just have to figure something out himself then.

"Nik?"

Klaus' head flew up at the voice that sounded oddly familiar. His eyes widened in horror the minute he saw the person standing in front of him. "Henrik," he choked out, it was barely above a whisper. Stumbling a few steps back towards the fireplace, his eyes filled with tears. He couldn't even look at his brother, who was standing there in front of him pale white and with blood covering his chest.

"Hello Nik," the youngest Mikaelson replied with a smile that never reached his dead eyes. "It's been so long, brother!"

Klaus let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding. He searched to room for any answer as to why this was happening. Had Silas already found Katerina, obtained the cure and lifted the veil? Last time he had seen Henrik was when he had taunted him through his hallucinations after he had killed the original The Five. Was he just that; a _hallucination_? He swallowed something even though his mouth had become completely dry. _No_, he thought. _This can't be real! This can't be happening! Wake up, Niklaus!_

"I almost thought you had completely forgotten about me, Nik," Henrik spoke. He took a step towards his older brother. "I know you want to forget."

Klaus inhaled sharply and looked down at his feet.

"Mind if I join the party?"

Klaus' head snapped up once again. His eyes fell on Kol and he felt a tear escape down his cheek.

* * *

Caroline huffed in annoyance and opened her eyes. She had gone straight to bed after the shower she had taken when she got home but she had come to discover that after 3 hours of trying she still couldn't sleep. The guilt and remorse she felt every time it struck her that she had just killed 12 innocent people had been nagging her ever since she'd left Klaus in the woods. Tears started forming in her eyes again as a small whimper escaped her lips before she could stop it. She had killed 12 innocent people and now Silas only needed the cure the lift the veil.

She placed a hand on her chest, closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths to calm herself down again. She might have done it to save Bonnie but it made her feel guilty all the same. Everything had been such a mess lately with Tyler leaving, Elena turning off her humanity and now her killing the 12 witches. She could hardly keep up with everything anymore. All she knew was that her heart was aching more than it ever had.

Sitting up, Caroline suddenly felt extremely hungry. She couldn't even remember when she had last fed. With a sigh she got out of bed and tip-toed downstairs. Her mother was still asleep after her nightshift and she didn't want to wake her up. As silently as possible she opened the fridge and pulled out one of the remaining blood bags. She had been trying to cut down ever since all of the blood bags were stolen from the hospital. She opened the bag and filled a cup before throwing the bag back into the fridge. She walked back upstairs and sat down on her bed, staring at the blood in her hand.

_Nooo!_

She could still her Klaus' scream ringing in her ears. She knew he was angry with her and she suddenly hated herself for letting her guard down in front of him. She had willingly giving him the approval to comfort her and he had smacked her right in the face with the words she had previously shot at him. She should have known better. It was Klaus after all. But then again, maybe he hadn't been completely wrong for saying it?

Before she could think any more about it the blonde downed the blood in one go and placed the cup on the nightstand. Glancing at the clock she realized it was already 10 am and decided that now would be as good a time as any to get her day started.

* * *

Klaus' eyes shot to the door of his study as he heard the front door go. He turned back to look at his brothers but realized that they were gone. Their words still lingered with him though. _"You did this! You killed us!"_

His breath quickened as he saw the beautiful blonde he had driven away earlier enter his study. "Caroline!" he breathed.

She blinked, looking at him with a blank expression on her face. "Hi."

He straightened up and took a step towards her. "I didn't expect to see you around, sweetheart," he said, eyeing her carefully. "Now, what can I do for you?"

Caroline looked around the room. "I see not much has changed since I was last here," she stated and stepped into Klaus' study.

Klaus shot her a weak smile, waiting for her to continue as he did not know where she was going with this. He felt the sweat pooling on his forehead and body as the little piece of white oak dug deeper into his back, touching his spine. He winced slightly in pain.

She tilted her head to the side as she looked at him as if wondering whether or not to ask if he was okay. "Is something wrong?" she asked, not looking nor sounding the least bit concerned.

He swallowed something and shook his head slightly. "Nothing you should worry about, love," he answered and took another step towards her.

The blonde tilted her head, looking like she was going to comment on it but then seemed to change her mind. "I thought about what you said in the woods this morning," she announced, eyes travelling over his naked torso and up to look him in the eyes.

Her dead eyes made him furrow his eyebrows in a worrying gesture. Was she okay? Had something happened after she left him in the woods? "Is that so?" he asked cautiously, trying to keep his demeanor.

She nodded slowly. "You were right," she said as she kept his eyes locked with hers. "I do need to find someone less terrible that I can relate to."

Klaus froze, his eyes widening. What was she saying? He clenched his teeth as he once again felt the piece of white oak moving around in his back. The pain caused new drops of cold sweat to appear on his forehead. He felt his body shiver slightly.

"I mean, you didn't think I was coming here to confess my love to you or something, did you?" she asked in a mocking tone.

He let out a low growl, his face contorting in pain and a sudden anger.

She just stared at him with the same blank expression she had held ever since she entered the room. "Did you really think I could ever fall for a _monster_ like you?" she spat at him as she stepped even closer. She gave a satisfied smile that never reached her eyes as she saw the hurt etch into his face. "My ruined my life! You have brought this town too much hurt and pain! You killed Jenna, Elena and would've killed me and Tyler if Damon hadn't come to our rescue! You forced Stefan to become the Ripper again in exchange for Damon's life. You've threatened Bonnie, used Elena as your personal blood bag. You even went as far as to send my _boyfriend_ away with the promise that you would hunt him down and eventually kill him! But you know what, I've had enough! And now …"

Before Klaus could even react she had grabbed the fire poker and smashed it against his hard abs, causing him to double over and fall to his hands and knees in agony. He slowly turned his head to look up at her with his brows furrowed and mouth slightly open as he fought to catch his breath. His face portrayed the pain he felt both physically and in his heart.

" … I will bring you nothing but misery!" she spoke through gritted teeth. The corners of her mouth twisted up in an evil smile he had never seen her sport before. It made his skin crawl.

* * *

Caroline sighed as she got into the car and turned the key in the ignition. She wasn't sure where she was going exactly but she needed to clear her head after everything that had happened in the last 24 hours and she still wasn't in the mood to talk to her mom. She had barely made it out of the driveway before her phone went off though. Caroline quickly dug the phone out of her purse and shot a look at it. The caller ID told her that it was one of the girls from the prom committee. Letting the call go to voicemail, she dropped her phone back into the purse and fixed her eyes back on the road.

What was she even going to do about prom? She wasn't even sure she wanted to go anymore. That thought hit her hard. Ever since kindergarten she, Bonnie and Elena had been dreaming of senior prom but now it just seemed pointless. Tyler was gone, Elena wasn't even Elena anymore now that her humanity had been switched off, Bonnie … what the hell was going on with Bonnie anyways? All they really knew was that the freak Silas was using her for his freaky plan of lifting the so-called "veil" and bringing back the dead supernatural beings.

Both Damon and Stefan were running around after Elena as always in an attempt to try and save her – this time from herself. Klaus seemed to be pissed off at her for the stunt she had pulled last night and she hadn't seen Matt since she had received that letter from Tyler. Even Rebekah was too fixated on finding the cure to even pay attention to the planning of prom.

Caroline swallowed something that seemed to have built up in her throat. And then there was herself; Caroline Forbes who, as always, was just expected to suck it up and pretend nothing was wrong so no one would have to worry about her too – not that anyone ever did worry about her though. Caroline Forbes, the girl who might have possibly just started the whole Silas apocalypse by killing twelve innocent people. Caroline Forbes, whose boyfriend recently had to leave her because the original hybrid who was apparently in love with her wanted to kill him. And she didn't even go with said boyfriend for a reason she had yet to find out. It would've been the most logical thing to do yet she didn't do it. _Why?_ she asked herself. _Why didn't you just go with him?_ She had no idea.

Caroline shook her head when her thoughts started drifting towards the originals hybrid, proposing that maybe, just maybe, he was the reason she had stayed behind? _No_, she told herself firmly. _Don't even go there._

Caroline's heart almost stopped when she realized where she had parked her car. _The Mikaelson Mansion? Really, Caroline?_ Extremely annoyed with her subconscious self, she put the car back into drive mode but she found that she couldn't bring herself to leave quite yet.

Quickly turning off the car, Caroline walked towards the big house with slight hesitation. Was this such a good idea after all? She still wasn't even sure why she was here but as she quietly opened the front door she knew something was off.

Following the sound of unstable breathing Caroline soon found herself standing at the entrance to Klaus' study. She remembered how he had shown her this room during the night of the ball and how she had tossed the bracelet at him. It seemed like forever ago but it really was only a couple of months ago.

She was quickly torn from her train of thoughts when a loud grunt of pain was heard. Her eyes shot up to the fireplace, gasping as her eyes were met by the sight of Klaus lying on all four in front of the burning fire, his face contorted in pain. "Oh my God," she mumbled and took a step closer. "Klaus! What happened?"

But he didn't even look at her. He kept staring into the air at something she couldn't see. "Sweetheart," she heard him choke out. It sounded almost pleadingly.

"Klaus," she repeated quietly but he still wasn't looking at him. She was about to walk over to him when his body shifted in a weird angle. She heard him let out another grunt in pain. "Klaus!" she tried a third time, this time a bit louder.

"No," his voice was barely above a whisper. "No, not you! This can't be real! You're not real!"

"What?" Caroline mumbled confused. She tried to make eye contact with him but he was acting like she wasn't even there. "What are you talking about? Of course I'm real! I'm right here!"

"You're not real, you're not real." He just kept repeating the same words over and over.

Her eyes widened slightly as she realized he wasn't even talking to her. "Klaus!" she practically yelled his name this time, desperate to make him notice her.

Klaus blinked as she called his name the fourth time, his eyes quickly scanning the room until they finally landed on her. "Caroline." For a few seconds he looked relieved but then fear took over his body once again. He stood up with a bit of struggle, stumbling backwards until his back hit the shelf over the fireplace.

"Klaus," she breathed silently, still debating whether or not to approach him further. She felt a sudden need to comfort him as he stood there, holding his right upper arm with a look of fear etched into his beautiful features. She had no idea where that thought came from and in some ways it scared her. She knew, however, that she had to do something to help him. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

He growled and stepped away from the fireplace, regaining a bit of his composure. "Caroline," he spoke as a warning. "You better leave now before I do something I'll regret."

Caroline widened her eyes further at that. "What?" she asked, her voice slightly shaky. "Klaus, it's me! It's Caroline! I don't know who you think you saw before but I can assure you that they weren't there!"

Klaus growled a little lower this time as another warning. He took one more step towards her but had to stop when another shockwave of pain went through his body and made him flinch.

Caroline opened her mouth to ask him what was wrong when she noticed the wound in the mirror. "Oh my God," she breathed the exact same words she had when she entered the study. "What happened to you?" She stepped towards him but stopped abruptly when he shot her another warning glare.

He kept quiet for a while, just staring at her as if he was trying to figure out whether or not it was really her. "Silas," he finally told her.

Caroline furrowed her brows and walked around to inspect his back, ignoring his growls and protests. She ran her figures just beneath the wound and was suddenly overwhelmed by the heat spreading in her entire body. She noticed him shift uncomfortably under the touch of her fingers and knew he had felt it too. "What is it?" she asked as she stared at the wound, trying to keep focused. It proved to be harder than that though, because just then the fact that he was shirtless dawned on her; shirtless and sweaty. She quickly proceeded to shake the thoughts out of her head. She had to keep focused.

"A piece of white oak," he groaned. "Silas stabbed me in the back with the stake my Mother created for Alaric after you left."

"I thought that thing was supposed to be indestructible or something," she mumbled before reluctantly removing her figures from his back. She turned to look around. "We need to get it out," she stated the obvious, making Klaus grit his teeth in annoyance. "Do you have any small pincers around here?"

"There's one on the desk over there," he grumbled and pointed to the big desk.

Caroline quickly went over and got it before returning to Klaus. She bit her bottom lip and she inspected the wound a little more thorough. "This is going to hurt," she warned after a moment of silence. Before he could object she dug her fingers, along with the pincer, into the wound.

After what felt like forever Klaus finally felt relief hit him; the pain was gone.

"That should be it," she announced. She was just about the walk back to his front when he suddenly turned around to face her.

"Fine then!" he snapped and as she looked into his eyes she realized he once again thought she was someone else. "If you hate me so much, then why do you just end me?!"

Caroline took a step back in shock. Was he seriously telling her to kill him?

"Do it!" he dared her, his eyes blue eyes twitching with a hint of yellow. "END ME!"

"No," she mumbled shakily as she finally found her voice again. "Klaus, what are you talking about? Why would you even say that?"

He let out a deep growl but this was unlike the other ones; this growl was filled with anger and a hurt that only she would detect. And that was when she realized who he was seeing.

Caroline threw away the piece of white oak, not caring for where it even landed, and turned back to face him. "Klaus," she spoke carefully. "Klaus, it's me, okay? I'm right here!"

The growl only grew louder. He grabbed her arms tightly, trying to scare her away, only it seemed to have the complete opposite effect.

Without much hesitation Caroline raised her hands and placed them on each side of his face. "It's me," she spoke once again in a comforting tone. "It's okay. It's me – it's Caroline."

And just as quickly as it had appeared it was gone. Klaus saw _her_; the real Caroline. He quickly loosened his grip on her arms but never removed his hands. Instead he leaned in to her touch, feeling all the pain and anger melt away as he stared into her beautiful, blue eyes.

She gave him a meek smile, her eyes projecting the warmth and comfort she knew her words couldn't.

"Caroline," he croaked, his voice vulnerable and raw.

"Hi," she whispered lowly, offering him another small smile. She used her thumbs to gently caress his cheeks and before she could stop to think twice about it she pulled him in, crashing her lips against his. She felt him freeze under the sudden movement but he recovered quickly from the shock and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer.

Caroline felt a spark ignite in the pit of her stomach, felt warmth spread out to her entire body. Deciding to ignore the little voice in the back of her mind screaming at her to stop herself, telling her how wrong it was, for a little longer, she buried her hands in his damp, sandy-blond hair, deepening the kiss. His plumb lips moving in sync with hers made her wonder why she had ever waited this long with kissing him. It was different from any kiss she had ever shared with a guy before. It made her feel like she was finally home and it made her feel safe in a way that even Tyler never had been able to. And _that_ realization was what made her pull away ever so slightly. She hesitated opening her eyes, knowing that if she did she might run away.

* * *

**So what did you think guys? I would love to hear your thoughts so please do leave me a review if you can find the time to! :)**

**Also, I had originally made the ending a bit longer but decided to cut it because I didn't want it to end on a sour note. Hope you don't mind :P**

**As those of you who have read these spoilers/rumors might've heard, it's said that Caroline makes a deal with Klaus to help him if he lets Tyler come back in 4x19 for prom. I left that out seeing as I had already planned this in my head before I heard that earlier and I didn't want it in either. I seriously hope it isn't true and it honestly doesn't fit with how they're looking at each other when she's holding the piece of white oak either!**

**Anyways, I hope you enjoy/enjoyed watching 4x18! I'm excited to see if this even comes remotely close to what actually happens :P**

**I'm going to stop rambling and go now though. Again, I would love to hear your thoughts on this! It helps me a lot as an aspiring writer ;D**

**Much love, Nicole.**

**Song: Dance On Our Graves - Paper Route (I don't own the rights to this song, nor any of the characters used for this one-shot)**


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